Romania refuses to allow Russia and Belarus to attend OSCE PA session

Russia and Belarus can't attend OSCE PA session (photo: flickr.com_rossamagnolia)

Romania has not issued visas to the delegations of Russia and Belarus to participate in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session. The OSCE PA session will be held in Romania from June 29 to July 3.

"The Romanian authorities have decided not to allow the Russian delegation to participate in the annual session of the OSCE PA. This measure will be applied to all members of the delegation, parliamentarians, and technical staff. The decision is also directed against Belarus, which supports the war started by the Russian Federation," said Romanian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Radu Filip.

As the Foreign Ministry spokesperson explained, the decision of the Romanian side is based on Romania's known and consistent position on Russia in the context of the ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional intergovernmental security organization. It brings together 57 countries from Europe, Asia, and North America. Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine are among the OSCE members.

In February 2024, the OSCE activated the Moscow Mechanism to investigate civilian Ukrainians held hostage by Russia.